Ten Medals For Wiggle High5 Riders In Glasgow European Championships

Wiggle High5 Pro Cycling’s athletes came away from the European Cycling Championships, in Glasgow, Scotland, this week with an incredible haul of ten medals across Road and Track events. The Championship began on Friday with a victory in the Scratch Race from the Netherlands’ World Champion Kirsten Wild, with Katie Archibald and Elinor Barker then taking Gold as part of Great Britain’s Team Pursuit squad that evening. Lisa Brennauer was part of a German team that beat their own National Record on the way to taking the Bronze Medal.

"It’s crazy how the Wiggle High5 riders rocked the Europeans!” laughed Wild, who also matched her World title in the Omnium with a European title before taking Bronze in the Madison with compatriot Amy Pieters.

“I am very happy with my wins,” Wild added. “They were races with a high level and it gives me confidence for the upcoming season on the track. But it’s also strange to race against your own teammates!”

Wild’s Omnium victory came after a close battle with Archibald, who took Silver in the event that she had beaten Wild in, in 2017. The Scottish rider was just unable to add to her Team Pursuit title, but took another Silver in the Individual Pursuit.

“I've had more successful European championships but this one was so special because it was at home,” Archibald said. “It was such a privilege to have the backing of the crowd and I hope I did the nation proud giving the races everything I had.”

Archibald was beaten in the Individual Pursuit final by teammate Lisa Brennauer, who broke the German record again with a time of 3:26.879. The German Time Trial Champion added this title to her Bronze Medals in the Team Pursuit, and in the Road Race.

“I’m really happy with how the week in Glasgow went for me,” Brennauer said. “Going home with one European title and 2 bronze medals is more than I had ever expected!”

Arguably the most emotional of the results for Wiggle High5 Pro Cycling’s athletes was the victory for Denmark’s Julie Leth in the Madison, with former Road World Champion Amelie Dideriksen. The Danish rider normally spends her races working hard for her teammates, so the chance to stand on top of the podium herself was more than welcome.

“I’m obviously super pleased about the Madison win. “Didn’t quite see that coming,” she laughed. “It was mine and Amelie’s first Madison together, and we started out by making lots of mistakes, but managed to turn it around, by gaining a lap together with the Russians.

“I’m just very excited for the future, and for us to develop as a team for the coming years,” Leth added. “So much to work on, but we got off to a brilliant start!

“It’s so nice, to actually be the one stepping up on the podium for once, instead of cheering from the sidelines!”

The final event of Glasgow 2018 was the Road Time Trial, which was run under heavy rain. Wiggle High5 Pro Cycling’s Audrey Cordon-Ragot and Elisa Longo Borghini finished just of the podium, in fourth and sixth respectively.